http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles
Wed, 07 Feb 2018 20:43:53 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.22FBI’s Use of Fusion GPS Dossier Problematichttp://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/2018/02/07/fbis-use-of-fusion-gps-dossier-problematic/
http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/2018/02/07/fbis-use-of-fusion-gps-dossier-problematic/#commentsWed, 07 Feb 2018 20:43:53 +0000http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/?p=2722Since the release of the Nunes and Grassley memos, several readers of the Spingola Files have inquired about the nuances of obtaining warrants from a court to search for evidence or to eavesdrop on electronic communications.

Based on these memos, news reports, and statements of investigative journalists, we know that, in the summer of 2016, the upper echelon of the FBI sought to obtain a court order to eavesdrop and monitor four members of “the Trump team suspected of irregular contacts with Russian officials.” An application to conduct intrusive electronic surveillance of the Trump campaign was made to a secretive Foreign Surveillance Intelligence (FISA) court; however, the judge declined to sign the warrant, and instructed the FBI to “narrow its focus.”

To the chagrin of its judges, civil libertarians often refer to FISA courts as “rubber stamps.” From their inception in 1979 through 2015, FISA courts have rejected just twelve of 38,169 warrant requests.

One reason search warrants and court orders are rarely rejected by judges in FISA or civilian courts is the supporting documents — typically affidavits and/or sworn testimony — are thoroughly reviewed by prosecutors or other high-level government attorneys prior to judicial review. To have a search warrant or court order rejected during a judicial review is not only embarrassing, but an indication of ineptitude or jaundice on the part of the government attorney who signed-off on the application.

In law enforcement circles, an ethical investigator or prosecutor would take any additional requests for court orders pertaining to the same target(s) back to the judge who initially rejected the request. If, for some reason, the initial judge is unavailable, an ethical agent would advise the reviewing judge that the initial request for a court order had been denied. To do otherwise is called “judge shopping,” an unethical practice of seeking out judges with a reputation of giving greater consideration to the government. At this point, we do not know if the FBI took any subsequent request for court orders regarding the Trump team back to the initial judge.

This is where the FBI’s eavesdropping of the Trump transition team gets interesting. Based on the aforementioned memos, its seems the FBI sought to beef up its previously denied FISA court application with the Fusion GPS dossier, a document that contains “salacious” and “unverified” allegations pertaining to candidate Trump. We also know the FBI used a media report from Yahoo News

in its affidavit at the FISA court. However, it appears the Yahoo News story consists of sourced information leaked to the news outlet by Christopher Steele, the former British spy who compiled much of the Fusion GPS “Trump dossier.” Steele’s services were underwritten by the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

What we do not know is what the FBI told the FISA court during its application and renewal applications for an order to eavesdrop on Carter Page, an American citizen who had done volunteer work for the Trump campaign. Did the FBI tell the judge, in writing or verbally, that the Fusion GPS dossier was actually a document paid for by the Democrats? Did the FBI represent foreign national Christopher Steele as a credible, unbiased source? Did the FBI explain to the court that Steele leaked much of the information obtained from the Yahoo News

article used in its affidavit?

Even more troubling are the details from the Grassley memo, which state “a friend of the Clintons,” and other “Clinton associates” passed information to Steele, which became a part of the Fusion GPS dossier. In other words, the Grassley memo alleges that Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the DNC, in effect, paid for and supplied some of the contents of an FBI affidavit used to monitor the Trump campaign.

Though many of the aforementioned questions have yet to be answered, a hunch tells me there is a FISA court judge out there who believes the upper echelon of the FBI, and possibly some high-ranking members of the DOJ, may owe him or her an explanation.

]]>http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/2018/02/07/fbis-use-of-fusion-gps-dossier-problematic/feed/1Spingola Files’ Best True Crime Books of 2016http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/2016/12/12/spingola-files-best-true-crime-books-of-2015/
http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/2016/12/12/spingola-files-best-true-crime-books-of-2015/#commentsMon, 12 Dec 2016 11:37:31 +0000http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/?p=2702Today, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel book editor Jim Higgins released his list of the best books of 2016. If reading a Chinese novelist’s sci-fi trilogy is not something you would particularly enjoy, checkout this list of the best true crime books of 2016:

#1 Badge 387: The Story of Jim Simone, America’s Most Decorated Cop

This book completely debunks the Black Lives Matter cop-hating narrative. Badge 387 is an outstanding read and would make a great gift for any person considering a career in law enforcement.

https://www.amazon.com/Badge-387-Simone-Ameri…/…/ref=sr_1_1…

#2 Rogue Heroes: The History of the SAS, Britain’s Secret Special Forces Unit That Sabotaged the Nazis and Changed the Nature of War

https://www.amazon.com/Rogue-Heroes-History-B…/…/ref=sr_1_1…

This is a compelling story of a British SAS unit during World War II. These elite troops were dropped behind enemy lines in Africa to fight Hitler’s troops.

#3 You Gotta Be Dirty: The Outlaws Motorcycle Club In & Around Wisconsin.

An excellent book about a motorcycle gang that terrorized rival bikers, everyday residents, and even the police in Milwaukee. For those familiar with Milwaukee and Wisconsin, many of the names and places will certainly ring bell.

https://www.amazon.com/You-Gotta-Dirty-Motorc…/…/ref=sr_1_1…

#4 Wolf Boys

The story of two American teens recruited as assassins for a Mexican gang. The book focuses on the dogged determination of a Mexican-American detective and his frustration with corruption.

https://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Boys-American-Tee…/…/ref=sr_1_1…

#5 The Reporter Who Knew too Much: The Mysterious Death of What’s My Line TV Star and Media Icon Dorothy Kilgallen

Released just four days ago, this is one to put on your holiday wish list. This story of Dorothy Kilgallen, a New York Post reporter who died of a suspicious drug overdose. Kilgallen was one of the few reporters who feverishly probed the Kennedy assassination. Some believe that her inquiry of the assassination led to her demise.

This Facebook post by Randall Miller, a retired law enforcement officer from Wisconsin, is so salient that it merits a Spingola Files’ mention.

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Yes, the Officer involved in Charlotte was black.

Back in the early 1970s, when I was a white cop in an almost all black neighborhood, the black activists blamed all the problems on the nearly all-white “occupation army” of cops. So, they hired black cops, even if they had to drop the hiring standards to do so. Okay, fine, nothing changed.

Then the black activists blamed it on the fact that the black cops worked for white supervisors and managers. So, cities started promoting black cops using affirmative action to push them ahead of other candidates. Okay, fine, nothing changed.

Then the black activists complained that the power structure of government in these predominantly black cities was white, so blacks (all Democrats) became Mayors and won election to other positions of power in major U.S. cities and ran everything. Okay, fine, nothing changed.

And that’s where we are today and it is obvious to this old man that the next frontier is a frontal attack on the very laws of the land as being “white” and, therefore, racist, because what else is left to challenge?
But what are we going to replace it with?

Some sort of reverse racial lynch mob system of justice where, if a black person is killed by cops, even if it is certainly legally justified under “the white man’s law”, the cop must be punished no matter what the circumstances?

I think the term used to describe what is being advanced is simply “anarchy.”

And, isn’t it the biggest racist slap in the face to blacks the very idea that they are somehow incapable of living under the existing laws of society? What sort of feral humanoids does that suppose that they must be as a people? Shameful. Almost unimaginably shameful.

It’s logic turned upside down. It’s a racist inversion of the natural order of things. And it is oppressing us all.
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Randall Miller is a retired law enforcement officer from Wisconsin.

]]>http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/2016/09/23/a-retired-cops-observations/feed/0Book Review: “Badge 387″http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/2016/09/17/book-review-badge-387/
http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/2016/09/17/book-review-badge-387/#commentsSat, 17 Sep 2016 16:45:27 +0000http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/?p=2694Badge 387: The Story of Jim Simone, America’s Most Decorated Cop, is authored by Cleveland-area crime journalist Robert Sberna. While conducting research pertaining to police officer use of force, the author learned more about Officer Jim Simone, who members of the news media and many in Cleveland referred to as “super cop.”

Simone’s saga is not simply that of a dedicated rank-and-file cop; this is a story of an American hero. After graduating from high school in the mid-1960s, Simone received an academic scholarship to college in Ohio. A year earlier, President Lyndon Johnson had escalated the war in Vietnam. Just prior to college classes starting, Simone’s father — a World War II veteran — walked into his son’s bedroom and said, ‘There’s a war going on. Get your ass down there and enlist.’

Simone later became a member of the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne. During a tour in Vietnam, he was wounded twice, and received two bronze stars and two purple hearts. The second time, medics initially wrote him off for dead, but he recovered. While convalescing at Walter Reed Hospital, an official asked Simone to enter officers’ candidate school. Simone refused saying that he had killed more people than he could remember and he was mentally done with the military.

Later, after becoming a member of the Cleveland PD, Simone set record levels for arrests and other activity. He also drew the ire of other officers because he did not believe in professional courtesy.

In December 1983, Simone and his fellow officers searched the basement of a church for a carjacking and robbery suspect. The officers didn’t know it, but the suspect — a convicted felon strung out PCP — likely wanted to commit suicide by cop. Armed with a revolver, the suspect was hiding in a basement closet and, as officers attempted to clear the closet, shot Simone in the face. The round exited the back side of Simone’s skull. Two other officers were also shot before the shooter was killed. When fellow officers finally made it to his side, Simone told them that he knew that he was dying, but, miraculously, he survived.

There is another interesting story in this book. A colleague of Simone’s shot several people who were African-American (the five people shot by Simone were white). Although Simone was viewed as super cop, the other officer was repeatedly harassed by the media, the brass at the Cleveland PD, and by critics in the community. This officer told the author that such actions lead to “de-policing,” where good cops simply throw up their hands and refuse to do their jobs for fear of retribution. The officer correctly noted: “Political correctness is killing this country.”

One thing that impressed me about this book was the objectivity of the author. Mr. Sberna carefully sifted through the facts, and viewed events and the actions of officers in their totality. One call tell that the author is a throwback to an era when journalists reported the news, and did not seek to make news or carry water for a particular ideological agenda. In this book, when officers were out of order, Sberna called them out; however, the author also held political figures to the same standard. This would never happen in Milwaukee, where the anti-police agenda at the newspaper is evident for all to see.

Overall, this is a very good book. Anyone interesting in entering law enforcement or seeing what police officers must deal with should read this book. I give it five stars, and guarantee that it will never be reviewed by anyone at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

]]>http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/2016/09/17/book-review-badge-387/feed/0Vince Foster: Myths & Realitieshttp://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/2016/05/31/vince-foster-myths-realities/
http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/2016/05/31/vince-foster-myths-realities/#commentsTue, 31 May 2016 17:23:28 +0000http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/?p=2684Thanks to one of Donald Trump’s rambling blusters, the strange death of Vince Foster is back in the news. On several occasions, the soon-to-be GOP Presidential nominee’s shoot-from-the-hip first and walk the bullets back later-style of campaigning has become fodder for late night comedians. Yet, on occasion, Trump — like the blind squirrel Franklin Roosevelt once cited — can find a nut sometimes.

In regards to Vince Foster, creditable investigators agree that President Clinton’s Deputy White House Counsel was found dead on July 20, 1994 in Ft. Marcy Park, a small federal government common in Virginia, just across the river from the nation’s capital. It is at this point, however, that a consensus seems elusive.

Over the course of the past week, Megyn Kelly has chided those who view Foster’s death suspiciously. Another Fox commentator, Howard Kurtz, purported that Foster left a suicide note and, thus, the case is closed. However, if Kurtz had done more than simply skim the surface, he would have learned that Reginald Alton, considered one world’s foremost document examiners, declared the note a forgery. Unfortunately, both commentators’ remarks affirm Obama administration speech writer Ben Rhodes’ perspective that only a few high profile media personalities do their own research and, instead, rely on “27-year-olds” with inadequate critical thinking skills.

Having spent 15 years conducting homicide investigations and having observed hundreds of dead human bodies in various states, the Vince Foster ‘suicide in the park’ narrative doesn’t pass the smell test. I base my professional opinion, in part, on a memo written by Miguel Rodriguez, an assistant U.S. attorney, who was the leader of Special Prosecutor Ken Starr’s team that probed Foster’s death.

In this memo, Rodriguez debunks the government-media depiction that Foster was “depressed,” and further noted that the deputy legal counsel’s involvement in the travel office scandal was minimal. According to those who spoke with Foster on the day he died, the attorney and Hillary Clinton confidant exhibited no signs of a man about to take his own life. It is, however, the state of the crime scene and some aspects of the investigation that raise red flags.

Vince Foster allegedly killed himself by placing a .38 caliber revolver in his mouth and pulling the trigger. Yet none of Foster’s teeth were chipped or broken and the gun supposedly used in the shooting was not Foster’s. Manufactured in 1913, the revolver’s frame housed two non-indigenous components and is, therefore, consistent with a “throw down” — an untraceable-type gun sometimes left at crime scenes. Since Foster owned and stored a different firearm at his personal residence, why would he defer to the relic pistol?

Even more troubling than the presence of a possible throw down-type firearm is the lack of blood, blood splatter, and brain material found at the scene. Typically, gunshot wounds to the head generate a large quantity of blood. Reports indicate that an exit wound was located in the rear of Foster’s head, which should have resulted in blood spatter and brain matter being ejected from his skull. Only a small amount of blood was found underneath Foster’s head and a smaller amount of blood was located on the right side of his shirt.

A forensic examination of the antique revolver recovered at the scene indicated that the firearm did not contain any fingerprints or fingerprint smudges; that, despite allegedly being placed in Foster’s mouth, the firearm contained no saliva; and that no blood was found inside the barrel of the gun. It is unclear whether investigators used a metal detector to search for the fatal round, which has never been recovered.

Rodriguez’s report also describes a second wound that was located on the right side of Foster’s neck. The District of Columbia Medical Examiner’s autopsy noted “the appearance of two crater-like indentations on the right side of the neck.” Based on his experience, Rodriguez attributed the marks to a stun-gun or a Taser “type weapon.” Unfortunately, quality crime scene photographs do not exist. Officers from the U.S. Park Police Service took Polaroid pictures at the scene, but every photograph taken with at least one, possibly two, 35mm cameras were “over exposed.”

Another key piece of physical evidence is Foster’s car. Investigators theorized that, based on the state of his body, Foster had been dead for about two hours when his corpse was discovered just prior to 6 p.m. But a key witness, Patrick Knowlton, who had been at the park at 4:30 p.m., told the FBI that Foster’s Honda was not present. Instead, a “Hispanic looking” man, who had occupied a brown car next to him, kept tabs on Knowlton as he entered the park to relieve himself.

Other physical evidence that serves to heighten suspicion was located on Foster’s body. “Blonde to light brown head hairs of Caucasian origin,” which did not belong to the deceased, were located on Foster’s “T-shirt, pants and belt and socks and shoes.” A semen stain, identified as Foster’s, was also found in the interior side of his boxer shorts.

Although these red flags (and numerous others not cited here) offer serious questions, conspiracy theorists discredit themselves by overreaching. Individuals stage or alter crimes scenes for a variety of purposes. One of the principal reasons for fudging or removing evidence at a crime scene is to protect the deceased, as well as his or her family, from the embarrassing circumstances surrounding a death. Based on the physical evidence, a likelihood exists that Vince Foster’s body may have been moved. At least one person noted that blood was observed inside the 6’4” Foster’s vehicle, and the front driver’s seat of the car had been moved forward to a point suggesting that the driver was about 5’8’.

Is it possible that an alleged a government cover-up is really an effort to prop up a convenient narrative? Could it be that repeating the line that there is nothing to see concerning Vince Foster’s death may simply be away to sweep some uncomfortable or highly embarrassing facts under the proverbial carpet? The odds are that we may never know.
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Steve Spingola is a retired Milwaukee Police Department homicide lieutenant, an author, and an investigator for TNT’s Cold Justice

]]>http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/2016/05/31/vince-foster-myths-realities/feed/2United States v. Apple: Finding Common Groundhttp://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/2016/03/05/united-states-v-apple-finding-common-ground/
http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/2016/03/05/united-states-v-apple-finding-common-ground/#commentsSat, 05 Mar 2016 13:26:31 +0000http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/?p=2679Steve Spingola published this article at Right Wisconsin. To see the content, please use this link:

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Steve Spingola is a retired Milwaukee Police Department homicide lieutenant, an author, and an investigator for TNT’s Cold Justice. His latest book, “Best of the Spingola Files, Vol. 1 & 2,” is available at Amazon.com

]]>http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/2016/03/05/united-states-v-apple-finding-common-ground/feed/0Murder on Madison’s Doty Street: Do the Police Have Something to Hide?http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/2016/03/05/murder-on-madisons-doty-street-do-the-police-have-something-to-hide/
http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/2016/03/05/murder-on-madisons-doty-street-do-the-police-have-something-to-hide/#commentsSat, 05 Mar 2016 13:22:36 +0000http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/?p=2677Steve Spingola published this article at Right Wisconsin. To see the content, please use this link:

http://www.rightwisconsin.com/perspectives/369048871.html

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Steve Spingola is a retired Milwaukee Police Department homicide lieutenant, an author, and an investigator for TNT’s Cold Justice.

]]>http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/2016/03/05/murder-on-madisons-doty-street-do-the-police-have-something-to-hide/feed/0Attribute Bernie’s Success to a Failure to Educatehttp://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/2016/02/11/attribute-bernies-success-to-a-failure-to-educate/
http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/2016/02/11/attribute-bernies-success-to-a-failure-to-educate/#commentsThu, 11 Feb 2016 12:20:46 +0000http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/?p=2674Steve Spingola published this article at Right Wisconsin. To see the content, please use this link:

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Steve Spingola is a retired Milwaukee Police Department homicide lieutenant, an author, and an investigator for TNT’s Cold Justice.

]]>http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/2016/02/11/attribute-bernies-success-to-a-failure-to-educate/feed/0Police Use of Orwellian Technology Raises Red Flaghttp://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/2016/02/06/police-use-of-orwellian-technology-raises-red-flag/
http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/2016/02/06/police-use-of-orwellian-technology-raises-red-flag/#commentsSat, 06 Feb 2016 14:22:36 +0000http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/?p=2670Steve Spingola published this article at Right Wisconsin. To see the content, please use this link:

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Steve Spingola is a retired Milwaukee Police Department homicide lieutenant, an author, and an investigator for TNT’s Cold Justice.

]]>http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/2016/02/06/police-use-of-orwellian-technology-raises-red-flag/feed/0Murder in Milwaukeehttp://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/2016/02/06/murder-in-milwaukee/
http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/2016/02/06/murder-in-milwaukee/#commentsSat, 06 Feb 2016 14:20:04 +0000http://www.badgerwordsmith.com/spingolafiles/?p=2668Steve Spingola published this article at Right Wisconsin. To see the content, please use this link:

http://www.rightwisconsin.com/perspectives/366147491.html

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Steve Spingola is a retired Milwaukee Police Department homicide lieutenant, an author, and an investigator for TNT’s Cold Justice.